Tonight I have a new guest reviewer - Eric Rodriguez. He's also one of
the sponsors of the site, as the owner of Red
Planet Toys. Check the site out for all your sixth scale and bust
needs! Now on to Eric's review...

I’ve been a fan of animation for a long time and as of the last five years or so I’ve been collecting superhero-related statues, busts and maquettes. I was thrilled to see that Hard Hero was producing a series of maquettes based on the hit animated series “X-Men: Evolution”. Their first series includes Cyclops, Storm, Professor X and Captain America. Their second series includes Magneto and Juggernaut. Now the third in the series is none other than everyone’s favorite X-Men, Wolverine.

Packaging - ****
Beautiful 4-color, glossy box compliments this cool maquette. The front of the box shows a close-up of the Wolverine maquette with a “Danger Room” background. Back of the box shows you images of the other six maquettes already available in this series. I’m no package designer, but I think this box hits the mark.

Sculpting - ****
What can I say, but WOW. Very well done. Very true the look of the animated series. Designer Steve Gordon and sculptor Seth Vandable have done a great job. Mr. Vandable is the talent behind other X-Men maquettes, such as Professor X, Juggernaut and Captain America, to name a few. If you’re a fan of the animated style, this maquette will be sure to please. What especially appeals to me of this sculpt is the very cool “action” pose. No “at attention” pose here. With a slight turn of the waist, arms up, fists clenched, claws drawn and that grimacing face, Wolverine looks ready for action!

Paint - ****
Not much to be said here. It’s simple paint job. Solid colors which again are
true to the animated look. Very nicely done. On the one I’m reviewing, I find the colors are clean and sharp.

Design/Quality -
****
In design, I think the folks at Hard Hero have done a excellent job. The same goes for quality. A well-sculpted and beautifully painted piece of art.

Value - ****
I think at $95, this maquette is comparable in price of the average statue out today.

Overall - **** As a fan of animation and statues, it was very easy for me to get excited about this piece. I think that Hard Hero has produced an excellent maquette. With a great pose, detailed animated style sculpting and great paint ops, this maquette is a must-have.

Now the animated style may not be for everyone, but as a long-time fan of animation, for me this was an easy choice.

Where To Buy:
Eric has this one at his shop, Red
Planet Toys, or your local comic shop may have it as well.